The present invention constitutes an improvement over the apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,071. The apparatus described in that patent provides for in-line adhesive binding of sheets of paper that have been assembled in a multiple-compartment receiver. In the operation of that apparatus, sheets are distributed seriatim into a multi-compartmented vertically columned receiver, aligned to arrange their edges into common vertical planes so as to provide one or more aligned sets of sheets, clamped and adhesively edge-bound. The adhesive edge-binder apparatus of that patent includes an endless vertical belt and a hot melt glue dispenser arranged to deposit a strip of melted adhesive onto the endless belt, and to advance the melted adhesive strip into position adjacent the set or sets of exposed and aligned sheet edges, and to displace the melted adhesive-carrying endless belt into contact with the exposed and aligned sheet edges of one or more sheet sets to transfer the melted adhesive to such sets so as to edge bind those sets. The endless belt of the adhesive edge-binder apparatus of that patent is narrower than the sheet width and that apparatus includes a lateral shifting mechanism arranged to position and reposition endless belt laterally across the face of the sheet receiver to accomplish sheet binding at one or multiple selected locations.